The beach project is the latest flashpoint in tensions between county commissioners and county staff, a strained relationship made worse after numerous failures with a contract for mowing grass in right-of-ways.

The Siesta Beach project, which includes new restrooms, concessions, 130 more parking spaces and a two-story overlook, is just a little more than half designed.

According to county officials, some of the cost increases can be attributed to:

• The estimated price tag for a main parking lot that went from $1.8 million to more than $5 million. County staff are trying to pin down the reasons for that increase.

• A proposed maintenance building that jumped from an estimated $300,000 to $1.3 million. County staff say Kimley-Horn and Associates, the engineering firm overseeing the work, failed to take into account federal building requirements, like wheelchair access.

• In some discussions, it was not made clear to commissioners that there would be additional costs for oversight of the project, such as testing concrete to ensure it measured up to industry standards. The price tag includes about $3.2 million in oversight and budgeting costs.

County staff members say there are still trying to determine how the price went up based on information provided by Kimley-Horn.

“You couldn't tell where they were,” Jim Harriott, the county's chief engineer, said of the increases.

Representatives of Kimley-Horn, which is being paid about $2 million to design the Siesta beach project, also say they do not know where some of the numbers came from.

The engineering firm referred all questions to Sarasota County government.

The beach project got a tentative go-ahead from the county commissioners in September 2011.

Once estimated to cost about $8 million, commissioners decided the project should be bigger in scope — about $16.7 million for construction and $21.5 million total — to complement the beach, chosen as the No. 1 beach in the United States in 2011 by Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach.”

Yet an email released last week from the county's current project manager shows that staff and Kimley-Horn do not know how a former project manager calculated that $21.5 million estimate.

Meanwhile, county staff, who approve the design plans in stages, said work came to a screeching halt in June when Kimley-Horn turned in plans more than half complete and about $5 million over the construction budget.

Some commissioners did not see those numbers until an August board workshop. At that meeting, staff members did not mention two additional costs totaling $3.2 million — one for additional oversight and another to add money to the county's overall budget — leading some to believe the cost estimates had risen to about $24 million, not $27 million.

County Administrator Randall Reid said commissioners did not ask about the total project costs.

While staff have been criticized by the commissioners for not providing enough information to the board — Barbetta called the communication “horrible” — Reid said staff were working diligently behind the scenes to try to find ways to bring the project costs down.

Commissioner Christine Robinson, who was frustrated enough last week to go in person to the board records department and pull files, also said she is displeased with communication from staff.

“As far as I'm concerned, this thing is going to come in under budget,” Robinson said.

Commissioner Nora Patterson's concerns were similar, but her rhetoric has been far more toned-down.

“It's really great to get a book of explanation like this,” Patterson said, referring to the binders. “It will help diffuse some of the irritation of the board toward staff for not following board direction.”

While Kimley-Horn officials declined to discuss the project with the Herald-Tribune, potential 2014 County Commission candidate and Kimley-Horn vice president Al Maio told commissioners at a board meeting recently that the figures from the county surprised him, too.

Harriott, the county's chief engineer, said he is still unsure how estimates for redoing the main parking lot area jumped to more than $5 million, but said it was likely Kimley-Horn made a mistake or miscalculation.

More questions surround the price for the $1 million increase in the price of the maintenance building. Harriott said Kimley-Horn's engineers did not consider federal regulations in the initial calculations that call for the building to be elevated and wheelchair accessible.

Harriott said some of the other increases come from add-ons from Kimley-Horn. They include a proposal to repave a section of Beach Road and an idea to buy a more-expensive, pre-made concrete esplanade instead of the cheaper option of building it from scratch.

The jump in expected cost has left staffers and the engineering firm trying to find ways to pare down. This has thrown several aspects that the commissioners thought were a given into jeopardy, like sea turtle-friendly lighting and mature trees and shrubs.

Public scrutiny of the project is growing, with some residents saying 130 additional planned parking spaces will do little to solve the beach's primary problem — lack of parking.

Some members of the public who attended an open-house meeting last week were frustrated with the project.

“In 2009 I thought the project was going to happen. I now have my doubts,” one resident wrote on a comment card given to the county. “I seem to feel that it will never happen in my lifetime.”

<p><em>SARASOTA COUNTY</em> - When the cost of a new Siesta Public Beach parking complex shot up from about $21 million to nearly $27 million, Sarasota County commissioners demanded an explanation.</p><p>But the explanations they received raise nearly as many questions as they answer.</p><p>County workers blame the engineering firm hired to design the parking complex for most of the increase.</p><p>Though the engineers declined to comment directly, public comments from the firm point the finger at county staff for design changes.</p><p>“I don't want any finger-pointing,” County Commissioner Joe Barbetta said. “I just want to know why nothing's been done since June.”</p><p>The beach project is the latest flashpoint in tensions between county commissioners and county staff, a strained relationship made worse after numerous failures with a contract for mowing grass in right-of-ways.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/522312-siesta-beach-improvement-plans.html target="_blank">Siesta Beach project</a>, which includes new restrooms, concessions, 130 more parking spaces and a two-story overlook, is just a little more than half designed.</p><p>According to county officials, some of the cost increases can be attributed to:</p><p>• The estimated price tag for a main parking lot that went from $1.8 million to more than $5 million. County staff are trying to pin down the reasons for that increase.</p><p>• A proposed maintenance building that jumped from an estimated $300,000 to $1.3 million. County staff say Kimley-Horn and Associates, the engineering firm overseeing the work, failed to take into account federal building requirements, like wheelchair access.</p><p>• In some discussions, it was not made clear to commissioners that there would be additional costs for oversight of the project, such as testing concrete to ensure it measured up to industry standards. The price tag includes about $3.2 million in oversight and budgeting costs.</p><p>County staff members say there are still trying to determine how the price went up based on information provided by Kimley-Horn.</p><p>“You couldn't tell where they were,” Jim Harriott, the county's chief engineer, said of the increases.</p><p>Representatives of Kimley-Horn, which is being paid about $2 million to design the Siesta beach project, also say they do not know where some of the numbers came from.</p><p>The engineering firm referred all questions to Sarasota County government.</p><p>The beach project got a tentative go-ahead from the county commissioners in September 2011.</p><p>Once estimated to cost about $8 million, commissioners decided the project should be bigger in scope — about $16.7 million for construction and $21.5 million total — to complement the beach, chosen as the No. 1 beach in the United States in 2011 by Stephen Leatherman, aka “Dr. Beach.”</p><p>Yet an email released last week from the county's current project manager shows that staff and Kimley-Horn do not know how a former project manager calculated that $21.5 million estimate.</p><p>Meanwhile, county staff, who approve the design plans in stages, said work came to a screeching halt in June when Kimley-Horn turned in plans more than half complete and about $5 million over the construction budget.</p><p>Some commissioners did not see those numbers until an August board workshop. At that meeting, staff members did not mention two additional costs totaling $3.2 million — one for additional oversight and another to add money to the county's overall budget — leading some to believe the cost estimates had risen to about $24 million, not $27 million.</p><p>County Administrator Randall Reid said commissioners did not ask about the total project costs.</p><p>While staff have been criticized by the commissioners for not providing enough information to the board — Barbetta called the communication “horrible” — Reid said staff were working diligently behind the scenes to try to find ways to bring the project costs down.</p><p>Commissioner Christine Robinson, who was frustrated enough last week to go in person to the board records department and pull files, also said she is displeased with communication from staff.</p><p>“As far as I'm concerned, this thing is going to come in under budget,” Robinson said.</p><p>Commissioner Nora Patterson's concerns were similar, but her rhetoric has been far more toned-down.</p><p>“It's really great to get a book of explanation like this,” Patterson said, referring to the binders. “It will help diffuse some of the irritation of the board toward staff for not following board direction.”</p><p>While Kimley-Horn officials declined to discuss the project with the Herald-Tribune, potential 2014 County Commission candidate and Kimley-Horn vice president Al Maio told commissioners at a board meeting recently that the figures from the county surprised him, too.</p><p>Harriott, the county's chief engineer, said he is still unsure how estimates for redoing the main parking lot area jumped to more than $5 million, but said it was likely Kimley-Horn made a mistake or miscalculation.</p><p>More questions surround the price for the $1 million increase in the price of the maintenance building. Harriott said Kimley-Horn's engineers did not consider federal regulations in the initial calculations that call for the building to be elevated and wheelchair accessible.</p><p>Harriott said some of the other increases come from add-ons from Kimley-Horn. They include a proposal to repave a section of Beach Road and an idea to buy a more-expensive, pre-made concrete esplanade instead of the cheaper option of building it from scratch.</p><p>The jump in expected cost has left staffers and the engineering firm trying to find ways to pare down. This has thrown several aspects that the commissioners thought were a given into jeopardy, like sea turtle-friendly lighting and mature trees and shrubs.</p><p>Public scrutiny of the project is growing, with some residents saying 130 additional planned parking spaces will do little to solve the beach's primary problem — lack of parking.</p><p>Some members of the public who attended an open-house meeting last week were frustrated with the project.</p><p>“In 2009 I thought the project was going to happen. I now have my doubts,” one resident wrote on a comment card given to the county. “I seem to feel that it will never happen in my lifetime.”</p>